Protective cover



Aug. 18, .1953 DlXQN 2,648,932

PROTECTIVE COVER- Fled Dec. 14, 1949 ytainers. .tainers must be positvely secured and the meteri Patented ug. 18, 1953 UNITED STATES AT'ENT vOFFICE PEOTECTEVE COVER Logan T. Dixon, Elizabethtown, K y.

[ilpplication'December 14, 1949, Serial No. 132305 1 Claim.

The 'present invention relates to protective covers icr usefin connection with bottled gas installations used to supply heating and vlighting in individual homes, and has particular reference to an improved andsimplied .form of cover 'device which may be empio 'ed readily with bottled installations of conventional type -now in use, providing a maximum of protection against unauthorized tampering with the installation.

With homes where no community gas service is available, fuel gas is supp-lied to the individual home in bottles'or metal containers, which must be freplaced at regular intervals by the supplier. .The'bottledgas Iinstallation usually includes two containers and a gas metering valve, all posi- Ationed outside the home, with suitable conduits leading to the stove or lighting iixtures if desired. inside the home. Thus, the bottled gas installations are vexposed to Weather, as vyell as being exposedito tampering by unauthorized personnel. These installations present a nre hazard which ibas been fthe subject of civil regulation, to the eiect that the containers, valve and conduit mechanisms leading from the containers must be suitably protected, in order to eliminate deterioration lending to dangers ci iire explosion incident to leakage of the gas from the con- In many communities, the gas coning valve and other operating mechanism housed by covers, which must be positively secured in place. The use of locks to secure the covers has been suggested, as well as the provision of enclosing boxes provided with hinged covers or.

walls permitting or facilitating removal cr replacement of the containers. These types of protective covers readily deteriorate through rusting of the locks, hinge mechanism or otherwise due vto the constant exposure to the weather, also vnecessitating the frequent replacement and repair, with particular reference to painting and oiling ci the mechanisms. Thus, the expense of upkeep of these'protective devices is 'a substantial factor. are locked in place, they do not eliminate the dangers of tampering.

v'lt is object cf the present invention to providea protectivecover idevice `for use-with bottied gas containers, meeting the requirements of safety regulations, and which may be constructed of inexpensive materials requiring little upkeep.

Aiurther object-is to provide a protective covering for'bcttled .gas containers whichrnaybe readily installed with-conventional container installations currently employed, without modification, and which Aprovides positive protection r`against theelenients, as well as unauthorized tampering with the container intallntion, as for example, by children.

Also,- unless the protective covers n VIl() A further object is toprovide a protective cover tor bottled gas vcontainers which normally rests in -protectingposition over the gas metering valve and conduits leading from the containers to the hcmaand which `ncay be removed from this position only 'by movement `of the cover vertically from the container Yprotecting position.

A further object -is to providea p-rctectiveeover for bottled gas installations which may be secured to the y*bracket whichnorlnally supports vthe gas 4meter valve in such a manner that the .cover can only be removed with an upward or vertical Vpressure evenly applied to maintain the cover in aligned position relative to the bracket any other liftingpressures incurring a partial lock between the cover and the supporting bracket, .preventing removal cf the cover.

.A `further object yis to kprovide a protective cover which is free from `openings capable of receiving and retaining water or snow, causing the .cover -to jam or .freeze in place, and which Awhen partially removed, will fall back into proper .position once .the ^removing pressure is released.

A further Objectis toprovicle a portective cover Aier bottled-gas@installations which may be conving description `taken `in connection with the drawings, wherein: Y

Figure .l isza perspectiveview of the protective cover vof the invention :installed .in place over 'bottled gas-container installations;

Figure 2 `is a 'vertical cross-sectional View of .the cover andfsupportfincluding the bracket;

Figure is a tcp viewiofthecover; and l figure-iisanenlarged'view of ka ko-rrn of latch which may be employed lto secure the cover in `protective position.

Invits'broadest application, the invention comp-risesa; protective ccverto bepositioned over fuel -e'as containers `of .conventional type, supported by labraclet having a projection engaging the cover whereby the cover-rnay be :removed from l'the"projectiononly byviinpression ofl an upward pressure,-.evenly,distributedon the cover, moving .thecoverrverticallyaand lupwardly Ain exact align- -Inent -With the bracket projection. The' bracket engaging 'means -within ythe protective coveris positioned so as to prevent theaccurnulationor" .wateriand ice therein. which would preventY normaloperation ofthe .cover in winter-.or incurs rusting of the-.mechanism- The engagement 4of the cover' and supporti-ng bracket provides ra partial lock, which is -c-ifective infpreventing removal ef :..thercover ,f-permittingxtampering .with the gas container installation by unauthorized. personnel,

- with particular reference to children. The partial becomes eifective when an upward pressure is exerted on the cover of any one side, biasing the cover support means and the means on the cover engaging the support in such a way as to prevent removal of the cover. It will be readily apparent that with children, lifting for example the front edge of the cover or one of the sides will thus jam the cover supporting mechanism, preventing removal, but in no way damaging the cover for removal by proper personnel. If the child is successful in moving the cover upwardly an inch or more, upon release of pressure the cover will fall back into proper position, protecting the containers.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Figure i. a perspective view of the cover II) mounted upon a bracket referred to generally as i i The valve assembly and conduits of the gas containers are shown in dotted line I2 as being mounted upon the bracket II, showing the relative positioning of the parts when the protective cover is assembled in position thereover. A conventional type of fuel gas bottle I3 is also shown.

The protective cover I comprises a member having a top ifi, a front panel I5 dropping perpendicularly from the top, and side walls I 6 having portions l'I tapering inwardly and rearwardly to a back plate I8, adapted to rest next to the building or other structure to which the container assembly is secured.

The bracket I I consists of a plate I9 secured to a wall or other structure not shown by screws 2t. The plate I9 may have raised portion 2I centrally and extending vertically of the bracket for mounting the container valve mechanism. The bracket I I is provided with a vertical extension or arm 22 secured thereto preferably setting within the raised portion 2| by welding or otherwise, the extension 22 having an offset portion 23 for purposes of spacing the extension from the wall to facilitate removal and replacement of the protective cover Il).

The rear wall I8 of protective cover IIl is provided with an arm securing number or sleeve 24 formed of a raised portion 25 adapted to receive the arm 22 in slidable relationship therewith. The sleeve 2li extends vertically of the wall I8, preferably the entire length thereof to increase the area of contact between the arm 22 and the sleeve. In order to secure the protective cover rmiy with regard to the bracket, it is preferred that the arm 22 and sleeve 24 be formedl in close fitting relationship, permitting relative vertical movement between the cover and the bracket when a lifting pressure is properly applied, for example, by grasping the sides of the cover, and lifting evenly, but biasing and jamming upon movement of the protective cover with anything except a pressure along the vertical axis of the arm 22.

lt will be further observed that the front panel I5 of the protective cover is adapted to rest at its lower edge upon the shoulders of the gas containers, thereby further supporting the weight of the cover when placed in its properly assembled position.

As shown in Figure 4, where a positive interlock between the arm 22 and the cover is desired, an aperture 25 is formed in the arm 22 adapted to receive a plug 21 mounted on a spring 28 and positioned by a cover plate 29. The lock assembly may be secured to the wall I8 so as to extend within the sleeve 2l! and engage the aperture 26 when the arm 22 is fully inserted within the sleeve. The tip of the plug 27 should be beveled so as to attain a snap lock action which may be established or broken by an increase in the pressure put on the cover, in a cover mounting or removing operation. With the combination of the spring lock and the binding action of the arm 22 and sleeve 24 when the cover is tilted, it is impossible to remove the cover with an improper application of cover removing pressures.

It will thus be observed that the present invention provides a protective cover mechanism for bottle gas containers which may be of simple construction yet which provides a positive protection to the container against unauthorized tampering, as well as from the elements. The container cover may be constructed of any desired material such as plastic and the like, preferred materials comprising metal such as aluminum and steel which are readily available and which may be painted if desired. Note that if the person tampering with the cover succeeds in eifecting a partial removal thereof from the arm 22, on release of lifting pressure the cover will slide down on the arm 22 to its normal position.

While the invention has been described with reference to the specific structures shown, it is apparent that the general contour and shape of the protective cover may be modified from that shown without departing from the spirit of the invention. Similarly, more than one mounting arm 22 may be employed. If a more rm support for the protective cover I9 is desired, the provision of one such arm 22 is adequate for most purposes.

It is intended that the invention be limited only as described in the appended claim.

I claim:

A protective device for use in connection with bottled fuel gas containers, comprisng a flat plate having a vertical, central, forwardly raised portion presenting a channel open at the rear face of the plate, said plate being adapted to be attached to a vertical surface, a solid, vertical, rodlike arm having a lov/er end portion seated in the upper end of said channel oi said plate and secured therein and having an upper portion extending above the upper end or" the plate and having an oir-set adjacent the upper end the plate spacing the upper portion of the arm forwardly of its lower portion and of said plate, a cover having back, front, side walls and a top, a sleeve secured against the inside of the back wall of the cover and extending substantially the depth of the back wall, said upper portion of said arm being slidably seated in said sleeve with a snug nt whereby said sleeve and arm bind to lock the cover to the arm when non-vertical upward pressure is exerted on the cover.

LOGAN T. DIXON.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,221,967 Farrar Nov. 19, 1940 2,337,960 Anderson Dec. 28, 1943 2,390,448 Moeller Dec. 4, 1945 2,523,872 McCloskey Sept. 26, 1950I 2,544,234 Magnesi Mar. 6, 1951 2,567.370 Fauser Sept. 1l, 1951 

